Carbon paper set



April 19, 1949. A. F. BECAN 7 2 4 7 45 CARBON PAPER SET Filed April 7., 1945 zm aa.

Patented Apr. 19, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARBON PAPER SET Arthur Frank Becan, Patchogue, N. Y.

Application April 7, 1945, Serial No. 587,030

2 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in the use of carbon paper for purposes of typewriting or writing in long hand, carbon copies of written materials; and that the objects of the improvement are, first, to eliminate the necessity of personal contact with the carbonized side of the carbon paper in general use thereof; second, to facilitate handling of carbon paper in general employment thereof; third, to facilitate, and promote emciency in, the process of lining up writing papers, sheets, or forms for the purpose of making carbon copies of written materials.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front face View with corner portions of the leaves turned up to expose the lower corner portion of the backing sheet; Figure 2 is a similar view showing one corner portion of the outer carbon sheet lifted by its tab element to expose the adjacent corner portion of an inserted underlying writing sheet; and Figure 3 is a side edge elevational View of the set on an enlarged scale.

The invention is in part based on the principle that it is easier to handle loose typewriting and writing paper than it is to handle loose carbon paper or both loose carbon paper and writing paper. The carbon paper is made up into sets as illustrated in Figure 1. The sets run from a Number 1 set (having one sheet of carbon paper and used for the purpose of typing or writing an original and one carbon copy of material), to about a Number 8 set (having eight sheets of carbon paper and used for the purpose of typing or writing an original and eight carbon copies of material). The sets are manufactured in 8 x 10 and 8 x 13 inch (standard) sizes. They are distributed in boxes of assorted sets and also in boxes of individual set numbers. Each set bears an identification number or symbol designated by the reference numeral 1 both at the top of the set and at the bottom of the backing sheet 2 to make quick identification of the respective sets possible.

The backing sheet 2 has a, carbon sheet 8 or a multiplicity thereof placed upon its top face, said backing sheet and carbon sheets being attached together along their upper edge portions, as at 4, and tabs 3 are provided at the lower corners of the carbon sheets so as to eliminate the necessity of having to touch the carbonized sides of the carbon paper 8 in handling and general use. The backing sheet 2 in conjunction with the tabs 3 also serve to prevent soiling of the hands in the use of the set of the present invention. The tabs 3 are preferably stepped to make thumbing a simple process. Also, the length of each different set, from point of attachment 4 to the top edge of the set 5, may be varied and stepped so that the set number i of all piled sets is in View at all times when sets are not in use and are placed in desk drawer or wherever kept.

The carbon sheets are attached (face down) adjacent the top edge 5 by use of a mucilage or glue. Obviously, the attachment of the sheets of each set may be effected by stapling or other fastening means. The backing sheet 2 (ordinary paper) is attached by the same means (this sheet covers the face of the bottom carbon paper of the set). At the top 5 of the set, the backing sheet extends up and over the uppermost carbon sheet of the set and is then attached by mucilage or glue to the latter or by the aforesaid alternate stapling provision. The paper tabs 3 are merely glued or otherwise suitably attached to the carbon sheets at their point of contact 9.

The backing sheet may be of any desired size but usually is either 10 /2 or 13" (standard) in length from point of attachment 4 to the bottom 6 of the sheet. It has a, cut out I at the bottom center portion. The sheets of carbon paper 8 are shorter, from point of attachment 4 to near the bottom 6 of the backing sheet 2, than the backing sheet by approximately 4. These features facilitate the placing and removal of the writing paper It in and from the set.

The procedure in using the sets is as follows: (a) upon determining the necessary number of carbon copies to be written, the appropriately numbered set is quickly withdrawn, eliminating the necessity of counting the required number of sheets of carbon paper for the process; (b) the carbon set is placed (backing sheet and face of carbon down) on the desk or table; (0) the carbon sheets are then lifted by use of the tabs 3 and with the other hand a sheet of the writing paper is inserted between the backing sheet 2 and the first carbon (the writing paper easily slides in place and lines up) (d) the sheet of the tabs of the rest of the carbon sheets above the one just previously utilized are thumbed and the carbon paper is permitted to drop and cover the writing paper just inserted; (e) the next sheet,

of writing paper is inserted, after which the remaining tab or tabs are again thumb-ed and another sheet or multiple sheets of writing paper inserted, etc., until all of the carbon copy sheets have been inserted; (f) the original writing paper sheet to be typed is merely set in place on top of the top sheet of carbon paper, and the set is ready for insertion into the typewriter or placed for writing in long hand thereon; (g) letterheads and forms are of course inserted into the carbon sets face up and top end first so that they prop-'- erly face the carbonized side of the carbon paper, and so that, in the case of typing, the tabs of the carbon set do not provide difficulties in the operation of the typewriter and required erasures may be made; (h) the writing paper is removed from the carbon set by holding the writing sheets between thumb and forefinger (at bottom center, where the cut out 7 has been made in the backing sheet). With the other hand, the carbon set is merely pulled free of the writing sheets.

It may be remarked that prior to my invention, various types of form sets with carbon papers already inserted to facilitate typing and writing of the specific forms have been in general use. Therefore I do not claim such a combination broadly; but only in the particulars as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A carbon paper set comprising a backing sheet, a plurality of superimposed carbon sheets lying upon said backing sheet with their carbon bearing faces down, means securing the upper ends of said carbon sheets to the upper end of said backing sheet, said carbon sheets being shorter than said backing sheet whereby the lower ends of said carbon sheets are spaced from the lower end of said backing sheet, said lower end of the backing sheet having a cut-out afiording clearance at the lower ends of the carbon sheets facilitating insertion and removal of sheets of writing paper beneath the carbon sheets, laterally projecting tabs secured to a side edge of the carbon sheets, said tabs being in superimposed relation and graduated in width to facilitate selection and lifting of individual carbon sheets for the insertion of a sheet of writing paper therebetween.

2. A carbon paper set comprising a backing sheet, a plurality of super-imposed carbon sheets having carbon bearing surfaces only on their undersides, the upper end of said backing sheet being folded forwardly and downwardly to enclose upper edge portions of said carbon sheets, means securing the folded upper end of the backing sheet and the upper ends of the carbon sheets together with the carbon sheets lying upon said backing sheet, tabs secured to the individual carbon sheets to project laterally beyond a side edge of said carbon sheets, said tabs overlapping and being progressively reduced in width from top to bottom to provide for manually selecting and elevating individual carbon sheets relative to said backing sheet for insertion of writing sheets thereunder, said backing sheet being longer than said carbon sheets whereby the lower edge of said backing sheet projects below the lower edges of the carbon sheets, and a cut-out formed in the lower edge of the backing sheet reaching to the lower edges of the carbon sheets facilitating manual access to writing paper sheets for their removal from beneath said carbon sheets.

ARTHUR FRANK BEGAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 617,841 Sunderlin Jan. 17, 1899 957,447 Suddick May 10, 1910 1,391,872 White Sept. 27, 1921 1,683,487 Remley Sept. 4, 1928 1,804,806 Phillips May 12, 1931 2,010,162 Smith Aug. 6, 1935 

